


Guardian Core

by SilverHyena



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Eventual Smut, Everyone and their Grandma is a background character, F/F, F/M, Giant Robots, I'm Bad At Titles, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, mech AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2020-08-11 20:09:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20159380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHyena/pseuds/SilverHyena
Summary: When Peter Quill attempts to join the Avengers-- an elite team of mech pilots formed to protect Earth and other planets from intergalactic threats-- he's paired with an interesting assortment of team members: Ava Starr, Erik Killmonger, Wanda Maximoff, and Pietro Maximoff.  With Thor acting as their mentor, they might just stand a chance of becoming an effective team.  They'll have to get their act together soon though if they want to stop the Mad Titan from conquering the galaxy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A few things to know before reading:
> 
> 1.) The mechs are generally named after their pilot's superhero persona. So, for example, if you see a mech called Iron Man, you can bet it's piloted by Tony Stark. Easy, huh?
> 
> 2.) There will be some significant character deaths. Prepare yourself because I might end up killing your favorites. (Mine too. *cries*)
> 
> 3.) The relationships tagged are the ones I plan to end with. So, don't be surprised if one of those characters hook up with someone else earlier in the story.
> 
> 4.) There's quite a bit of exposition in this chapter. I tried to make it as palatable as possible, but it's still exposition. Blah. Just know that future chapters shouldn't have this issue.
> 
> And that should be it! I hope you enjoy it!

It was kind of strange, setting foot on Earth again after all these years. The last time Peter Quill had been was when his mother was still alive. He remembered her vividly, but everything else was a blur. He supposed Earth reminded him of Xandar. Both places had a similar blue sky, tall buildings, and large crowds of varied people going about their business. Xandar definitely had a cleaner feel to it though. More green, less trash. At least, that had been the case before it'd been wiped out. That was why he was here-- part of the reason anyway. The Avengers were the only ones in the galaxy doing something to stop the forces behind that destruction so he was determined to join them. For all those people that had lost their lives on Xandar. And for Yondu.

"Not too shabby, old man," Quill said aloud as he came to a stop near a large marble statue. It had been a long time, but from what Quill remembered, it was a true likeness of Yondu. The statue stood tall and proud on a square pedastal that previous visitors had decorated with bright flowers, pictures, and candles. They'd all missed the mark a bit. Quill reached into his jacket and pulled out a tiny frog sculpture made up of silver and some sort of blue gem stone. It'd probably get stolen at some point, but it was the thought that counted. At least, that's what Quill told himself as he added it to the assortment of other things. He then traced the letters engraved on the base of the statue.

_In loving memory of Yondu Udonta whose tireless effort and sacrifice saved the lives of countless refugees._

Quill took a deep breath. It'd been six years since Yondu's death. Quill hadn't thought he'd still be this emotional about it, but something about seeing the statue covered in gifts from everyone who remembered what he'd given up for them even after all this time combined with the weight of what he was about to do overcame him. "Fuck," Quill said, wiping away the tears starting to form in his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket, "sorry. I didn't mean to cry. I just... I still miss you."

Quill took a minute to collect himself and started again. "I know it's stupid talking to a statue, but it's not like you have an actual grave so... Here I go. I applied to the Avenger's Academy. I go in for try outs today, actually. I know it's not what you wanted for me, but I hope you'll look out for me anyway-- you know, assuming you can actually do that in any sort of capacity. I don't know." Quill hesitated, wondering what else he should say. Keeping up a one sided conversation wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. He eventually settled on a new subject and started talking once more. "You'll be happy to know that the Ravagers are doing okay. A lot of them split after you died, but Tullk has done a good job as the new Captain. And Kraglin... Well, you know Kraglin. Up to no good as always. The other day he tried using your Yaka arrow to--"

Quill was cut off by an alarm. The high pitched noise echoed through the whole city. People quickly and calmly walked towards places marked as shelters, giving Quill the impression that this was a common occurrence. He followed suit as the ground rumbled beneath him. Overhead, he caught a glimpse of a large mech speeding by. It had a lean, powerful build with red and blue as its primary colors. The gold lining was the last detail he needed to identify it as the Captain Marvel. Quill whistled excitedly as he continued on to the shelter. Getting a look at the most powerful mech the Avengers had to offer on his first day had to be a good sign, right?

\-----------------------------------------------------

"Hi there," Quill managed in between tired breaths as he made his way to the front desk. The receptionist cocked a judgmental eyebrow. He couldn't exactly blame her. He wasn't exactly at his best at the moment. It wasn't his fault though! The guys managing the shelter had refused to let anyone leave for a good half hour after the threat had been taken care off. They were just being extra cautious, but because of that, Quill was running late. "I'm one of the Avengers Academy applicants. We're supposed to meet--"

"Down that hallway and through the double doors," the young woman replied in a bored tone. Quill got the feeling that she'd gotten that question a lot today.

"Thanks," Quill said quickly before moving on.

When he got past the double doors, he found himself in a large room that had an empty warehouse look to it. Across the way were several garage doors, each marked with a number one through five. Quill couldn't help but wonder what secrets they were hiding. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," came the voice of a man standing at the front of the crowd of potential students. His most distinguishing feature was the eye patch covering his right eye. It definitely contributed to his intimidating aura, but Quill would not have wanted to mess with the bald, black man in the trench coat regardless. At the man's feet, an orange cat curled around his ankle. "Everyone else managed to get here on time. The fact that you didn't doesn't exactly inspire confidence, now does it?"

"No, sir. Sorry, sir," Quill answered. A few people nearby snickered.

"You think sorry will cut it when you're late on the battlefield?" the man continued, walking over to Quill and looking him in the eye with an unnerving intensity.

"Fury," a different voice called from above. Quill had noticed scaffolding lining room, but he hadn't noticed the group of people watching from above until now. In his defense, he had only had a second to examine the room before he was singled out. The man who'd spoken up in his defense was a muscular blond, one that Quill recognized immediately as Thor. He may have been raised off planet, but Yondu had made sure he'd heard all the stories about the original set of Avengers. "You'll have time to grill the newbies later. Let's keep this going."

"Hmph. I'm watching you," Fury threatened before walking back to the front. Quill thanked Thor with a silent nod. Thor gave him a sly wink in return.

Leaning on the rail next to Thor was a woman with a bit of a mercenary look to her. She wore her dark hair back in a pony tail and had white markings on her face. Quill's knowledge was limited when it came to newer members, but he did note that she seemed pretty close to Thor. Also hanging out on the platform above was Natasha Romanov and Bruce Banner. Natasha's bright red hair and Bruce's gentle giant vibe gave them away easily enough.

"As I was saying, you are all here to try to join the Avengers-- an elite group of mech pilots that protect Earth and the rest of the galaxy from hostile threats," Fury continued, "now, whether you want the job for the money and fame or you genuinely want to help people is irrelevant. What is relevant is your skill. We have narrowed the field down to one hundred applicants. By the time today is done, that number will drop to twenty five. Those lucky twenty five will go through our three year training program here at the academy and, at the end of it all, maybe get to pilot an actual mech. If you do not agree to all that, please, by all means, make our job easier by getting the fuck out of here."

Fury paused, giving everyone a chance to leave. Nobody moved a muscle.

"No? Good. Then let's proceed," Fury said. He waved his hand and a large projector screen started descending from the ceiling. "My colleague, Maria Hill, has prepared a quick lecture concerning the history of the Avengers. I imagine all of this will be review for most of you, but listen up anyway. The information she is about to present is the absolute minimum you need to know to succeed here."

Maria Hill, a dark haired woman, stepped out of the crowd and took her place beside Fury. Instead of introducing herself, she jumped straight into the lecture, starting the slide show off with a picture of Tony Stark. "Two decades ago, a group of alien refugees fled to Earth to escape from an entity they referred to as the Mad Titan. It was this event that made Tony Stark realize that, while Earth was prepared to deal with internal threats, it was not prepared to deal with threats from outside. Thus, he started designing his first mech suit." At this, Maria switched the picture to a red and gold mech. "Standing eighty meters high and equipped with high powered repulsors, that creation became known as Iron Man."

"There was actually some controversy surrounding its creation as other countries became concerned that such a weapon could be utilized against them. However, the technology was embraced after the first Chitauri invasion. Iron Man was key in attaining victory in that battle and the world agreed that the solution was to make more suits."

"And so they did. However, regardless of who piloted them, none of these new suits matched Iron Man. This was because Tony had made significant body modifications to his chest, particularly the area around his heart, to sync up with his mech. This connection vastly improved Iron Man's reaction time, but it came at a cost. It put a strain on Tony's heart which was why the suit was eventually retired."

"Before that though, alien scientists joined forces with ours to come up with a better solution. While they made significant progress, the real breakthrough came when Wakanda abandoned it's isolationist policies and added their own technology to the mix. Together, they came up with a unique power source they ended up calling a core." Maria switched the slide again, this time showing some kind of orb that Quill assumed was a core.

"Cores are unassuming spheres about the size of a snow globe that have an opalescent sheen to them. Each core is bonded to a particular pilot and conveys that pilot's will to the mech as quickly as the pilot can think the thought. It maximizes the mech's capabilities and comes with an interesting side effect. For reasons we have yet to come up with an explanation for, cores also allow mech suits to exhibit some of their pilot's innate powers. For example, take Stormbreaker's pilot, Thor. On top of having enhanced strength, the Asgardian has the ability to summon lightning. Because of his core, Stormbreaker can too."

A new slide. A line up of six mechs. "Needless to say, this creation is what allowed Stark to create the Avengers. Originally consisting of six members-- Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, and Thor-- these pilots have come to be household names. Together, they rose up and protected Earth for nearly a decade."

"A lot has happened since then. While Thor is the only one of the original six that still actively participates in combat, most of the others still help out behind the scenes. The exceptions, of course, are Steve Rogers who went MIA during a particularly brutal battle and Clint Barton who retired to the private sector and became a police officer to focus on protecting civilians on a more local scale. Unfortunately, Barton had to quit that job when he was paralyzed from the waist down after taking a bullet in the line of duty."

"While these losses were a set back, many brave souls have stepped up to fill the void they left behind. Like the ones that came before you, you all are here to make a difference, to protect Earth and other planets that need our help. With a little luck and an incredible amount of effort, one day you too may join the ranks of heroes like the original Avengers, Yondu Udonta, and Carol Danvers."

"Thank you, Maria," Fury said, taking center stage once more as the projector screen lifted. "Now, since you've stepped into this room, there's been a question on your mind, right? What is behind those garage doors? Well, now we get to find out." Fury pulled out a walkie talkie from his coat and said, "hey, Beck. Would you lift the garage doors for us?"

Seconds later, the doors started rising. Beyond each one was five different stations, equipped with screens, chairs, and a mess of electronics. "As you've probably guessed, these are simulators," Fury explained, "we will now be splitting you into teams of five. You and your teammates will be assigned to one of these rooms where you will show us what you can do with a virtual mech. Your performance in the simulator will determine whether you move on from here. Note that while we do split you into teams, we pick people individually. We do not generally take whole teams. So, work together, but remember, you do actually have to show us what you've got. Your objectives in the simulator are simple. One, protect civilians, two, stay alive, and three, kick some ass."

"When I call your name, step forward. For team 1 we have Ava Starr, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Erik Killmonger, and Peter Quill." Quill snapped to attention upon hearing his name. He hadn't expected to be part of the first team. Fury gave him an unamused look as he joined the other four in front of the room that had had the garage door with the number 1 on it.

It was easy to figure out which ones were the Maximoffs. They stood close to each other, indicating a familiarity that strangers didn't have. Quill figured he could safely assume that the girl was Wanda and the boy was Pietro. He applied similar logic to the other two. The remaining girl was probably Ava, making the last member of their little band Erik. Honestly, none of them came off as particularly friendly. Getting them all to work together might prove to be a bit of a challenge.

Once four more teams were formed, Fury had the teams enter their designated rooms. "When these doors come down, you will have ten minutes to make introductions and discuss strategies," Fury explained, "then you better have your ass in those chairs because the simulation is going to start whether you are in them or not. Once all teams have finished the scenario-- either by successfully completing the mission or having their mech destroyed-- we'll open the doors and send in the next set of teams. Those of you who have completed the scenario are not allowed to talk to the ones who haven't gone yet. Anyone caught breaking that rule will be kicked out. Understood?"

The applicants all gave the same unified reply, "yes, sir."

"Alright, Beck. Do your thing," Fury said into the walkie talkie. The garage doors slowly started rolling down and team one through five's ten minutes began.


	2. Chapter 2

Quill took a deep breath. Only ten minutes, huh? Well, he'd better not waste any time then. Since the others weren't exactly volunteering, he started them off by introducing himself. "I'm Peter Quill. I usually go by Quill."

"You're also the guy who was late," Pietro pointed out with an amused grin.

"Figures we'd get stuck with him," Ava muttered under her breath.

"Okay, first of all, that was not my fault. Second, it has nothing to do with our current predicament," Quill said, "we need to come up with some kind of plan."

"My plan is pretty simple," Erik started, "get in that chair and do what I do best-- kill whatever gets in my way."

"I mean, ideally, that's what all of us are going to do, but we'll be better at it if we come up with a few strategies. We're supposed to be a team, right? Well, let's make use of each other."

"I'm going to be real with you," Erik said, "I'm not interested in working together. We're not getting picked as a team, we're getting picked as individuals. I should be able to stand out more than enough on my own. I don't need any of you guys dragging me down."

"I agree actually," Ava said, "no offense, but I don't exactly see you being an asset."

"How is that not meant to be offensive?" Quill growled. He forced himself to refocus as he turned to the other two, "please tell me that you two are at least willing to be more cooperative."

"I'll look after my brother, but that's it," Wanda said, arms crossed.

Quill looked at Pietro, hoping against hope that the last member of their team had something different to say. He shrugged and said, "sorry, Quill. Looks like you're on your own." At least the guy remembered his name. It wasn't much of a silver lining, but there it was.

"Fine," Quill sighed. He couldn't exactly hide the bitterness in his tone as he continued, "everyone for themselves. At least we got that decided. You all realize that whoever is judging our performances might actually want to see how we function as part of a team, right? But whatever. You guys don't care. You can't even be bothered to share your names."

"Ava Starr," Ava said simply. Quill perked up a little at that. He'd been fairly certain that his guesses were correct, but it was nice to get some confirmation. "I don't know why it matters to you though."

"Pietro Maximoff," Pietro joined in. He put an elbow on his sister's shoulder and said, "she's Wanda Maximoff."

"You just want a name? Fine. I go by Erik Killmonger," Erik said.

"You go by Erik Killmonger? As in, that's not your actual name?" Quill asked curiously.

"The first name is real. The second one is basically a title I earned on the battlefield."

"Then what's your real last name?"

"Tell you what," Erik said, "we both get accepted into the academy and I'll tell you."

"Fair enough," Quill said with a nod. He then took a better look around the room. If the others weren't going to help, he could at least help himself. The controls for the simulators all looked the same. That told Quill that the simulated mechs were probably all the same type. Claiming one station over the other wouldn't give anyone an advantage. As for the type the'd be given...

Quill crouched down and took a good look at the control set. They definitely weren't starting off with a high powered mech. That made sense though. You had to actually earn one of the ones designed by people like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. The mech the simulator was emulating was probably similar to the ones they'd actually be starting with if they got through the academy. It had a few tricks up its sleeve that might come in handy.

"Our time should be almost up," Wanda pointed out. "We should get in our seats."

Quill went ahead and took the station he'd been observing as the others picked out their own. Naturally, Wanda and Pietro claimed ones that were next to each other while Ava and Erik took the ones nearest them that were still open. Quill turned his attention to the screen and took a deep breath. He'd been training for this since he was twelve. He knew the controls and he had a number of tactics to choose from. He just hoped that was enough.

The screen came on, immediately throwing them into battle. The flurry of of energized bullets disoriented Quill, but Ava and Erik proceeded as if this was an every day occurrence for the two of them. Wanda and Pietro immediately went for cover. Quill followed their lead in the hopes that he'd be able to collect himself if he was out of the line of fire for a second.

From the spot he'd chosen, he was able to see Erik fight. The man stabbed his mech's sword arm through the chest of a Chitauri Gorilla and used it as a shield as he charged a squad of soldiers. As he finished off the last of them, another group tried to attack him from behind, but Erik whirled around, flinging the Chitauri Gorilla's corpse at them and crushing them underneath. Quill could see why he'd been so confident about his skills. His fighting instincts were on point.

A large group of Chitauri Gorillas charged Erik's mech. He shot several of them down, but a number of them got through and scrambled onto his mech where they were out of the reach of either of his arms. "Hey, Erik," Quill said, "try using the third button on the top left."

"What?"

"Just do it. It'll make your life easier."

A burst of electricity emanated from Erik's mech, stunning the gorilla's that had made it past his defenses. Erik shook them free and then finished them off one by one with his sword. "Okay. I'm not saying I owe you one, but that was kind of a neat trick," Erik admitted.

"Anytime," Quill said. He figured it was about time he got out there and did some fighting himself. He didn't have Erik's instincts, but he wasn't useless. Since Erik didn't seem to be focusing on protecting civilians, Quill figured he could fill that role for now. He picked off any Chitauri soldiers going after them and kept collapsing buildings from falling on top of them as Erik did his thing.

Wanda and Pietro joined in too. Unlike Erik, they were a bit more careful about running into the middle of the fight, but when they saw their openings, they took them. And, with the two of them working together, they made some incredible plays. Pietro even deigned to save Quill's ass a time or two by shooting a couple of Chitauri soldiers that he'd missed. While none of them had formally agreed to be a part of a team, they were working together surprisingly well. Now, if only Ava would join them.

A whale sized Leviathan flew between the buildings and approached them, readying it's laser canon. Quill knew that underneath their armor, they were vulnerable, but he couldn't get a good shot in. There best bet would be to clear the area, even if that did mean that the creature would cause a lot of structural damage. The others seemed to be thinking similarly as they ducked into the nearest side streets.

Quill was about to follow them when he saw Ava launch herself towards the creature from the top of a nearby building. She went for the canon first and, after breaking it, dug her sword between the creature's armored plates, piercing it's sensitive skin underneath. It recoiled in pain, but Ava held her position and elongated the cut until it was fatal. The Leviathan came crashing down. Ava jumped at the last minute and used the boosters on her mech to land softly.

"Not bad, ghost girl," Erik commented with a whistle.

Ava ignored him and moved on to the next enemy.

"Ghost girl?" Quill asked.

"I mean, she did disappear for half that battle. I thought it was appropriate," Erik explained.

"Ah, yeah. I guess that's fair."

That exchange behind them, the rest of the group followed Ava into battle. As the scenario progressed, the enemy swarms got more and more challenging, but between the five of them they were able to fight them off without sustaining any serious damage.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Quentin Beck leaned back in his chair as he viewed the monitors set up in front of him. Each one of them was programmed to mirror the screens from the simulators. Most of them had gone dark, indicating that the players had been defeated, but five of them were still active.

"Are those ones all from the same team?" Thor asked, coming into the room to check out the situation. The simulation had gone on longer than usual which meant that at least one person was doing exceptionally well. That usually piqued Thor's interest.

"Yup," Quentin commented, "all the members of team 1 are still in it. They're still looking pretty good too."

"So what you're saying is that your simulation isn't challenging enough this year."

"It was challenging enough for the other teams. We just accidentally paired up five people who knew what they were doing."

"We're looking at our first five students then?" Thor asked.

"I'd take them no question," Quentin said, "I think I'd keep them on the same team too."

Thor watched them for a bit. It didn't take him long to come to the same conclusion. Another wave of enemies and they'd actually complete the scenario. That wasn't really supposed to happen. "Hey, uh, mind if I test them out a little?"

"Oh, that's cruel," Quentin said with a smirk, "but sure, knock yourself out."

Thor went over to the station in the corner of the room. It was mostly there in case they needed to send in someone to moderate whatever simulation they were running. Using it to challenge potential students wasn't really its intended purpose.

"Did you want any upgrades?" Quentin asked.

"That wouldn't be very sporting," Thor said with a grin as he hopped into the seat.

"Alright, but if they kick your ass, I'm telling everyone."

"Fair enough," Thor said, "just send me in, will you?"

"You've got it."

\-----------------------------------------------------

As they cleared up most of the more threatening Chitauri units, Quill started to wonder exactly how long this scenario was. Sure, they could probably go another round or two, but this was supposed to be winnable, right? Maybe that was the point. Maybe they were supposed to face bitter defeat and learn from it. Or... maybe they expected you to be that good. Shit. Quill just hoped they could hold out long enough to get a passing grade.

Quill snapped to attention when he caught a glimpse of something moving at high speed towards Pietro. Without thinking, Quill ran in and pushed Pietro to the side. It protected him, but Quill's mech took a harsh blow to the back. The sensors at his station went wild, indicating that he'd lost most of his mech's functionality. "No," Quill growled, "come on. Don't quit on me now." His mech went to one knee and then fell to the ground. He wasn't dead yet, but he would be if their attacker decided to finish the job. He had to get his mech up.

Quill looked up at his screen briefly, now clearly seeing that Pietro's attacker was another mech like theirs. That felt wrong though. Could these mechs really move like that? They could fly and maybe with the boosters... Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that! Quill struggled to get his mech to respond as the enemy took a step towards him.

Erik intervened, coming between the mysterious mech and Quill. He pushed it back as Ava charged in with her sword. It would have been a good move if the enemy hadn't seen it coming. In one smooth movement, he pulled Erik around and switched places with him. Ava barely managed to pull out of the attack in time. Quill looked around to find Wanda. She was at Pietro's side. He wasn't responding. That couldn't be right. Quill had taken the attack for him. Pietro should have been fine, so why?

"This isn't the same as what happened before," Wanda said, voice desperate, "it's just a simulation, remember? It's not real so snap out of it!"

Shit. Quill had unintentionally triggered some sort of trauma. The siblings were out of the fight unless Wanda could get Pietro to respond. He turned his attention back to Ava and Erik. Ava was down. Her mech crackled dangerously. There was still a bit of life in it, but Quill was better off then her at this point. Erik did his best to stave off the mystery mech on his own, but he was struggling to keep up. The mech pushed him into a building and then pulled back as the debris fell in on top of Erik. Once most of it was clear, it charged in and stabbed Erik's mech right where he would have been if he'd been piloting the real thing. It was a fatal blow as far as the simulation was concerned and Erik's mech went limp.

Quill chewed his bottom lip as he desperately pressed buttons. He was almost there. Just a few more seconds. The mech started approaching him. "Come on," Quill practically shouted at this point.

Wanda took a shot at the approaching mech, drawing it's attention away from Quill. That gave him the chance he needed. His mech powered up again and Quill got it to its feet. His original plan had been to keep fighting, but if it had taken out Erik, his half-dead mech didn't really stand a chance. He could still save the others though. Quill charged the mech with his own and wrapped its arms around the enemy's torso. "You're done, bitch," Quill said, activating the self destruct function. His screen went dark as his mech exploded. Quill took a deep breath and looked down at his hands. They were shaking like crazy. None of that was real, but he'd gotten so absorbed in it that he didn't feel completely okay afterward. He glanced over to Erik's chair and saw that he was wearing the same expression. Being killed off didn't feel great, but at least with Quill, he'd made the choice himself.

The scenario ended a few moments after that. "Hey, did it work?" Quill asked Ava as she got out of her chair.

Ava nodded.

"Good," Quill said. He pulled himself up from his chair and went over to Pietro. Wanda was already at his side. It looked like he was better off than before, at least. He was rubbing his face in an attempt to collect himself instead of sitting there in some kind of stunned state. When he finished, he looked up at Quill with an upset expression on his face. "I'm--"

"I'm sorry," Pietro said, cutting him off, "I shouldn't have shut down like that."

"I'm sorry too," Quill said sheepishly. "I didn't think things would play out like that."

"Of course you didn't," he responded, "even if we had spent that ten minutes talking about ourselves I doubt I'd have gotten around to mentioning something like that. Honestly, I didn't know I'd respond that way either."

"Quill," Wanda said, "I know it was just a simulation, but thank you for trying to help my brother."

"And thanks for buying me the time I needed to get back in the fight," Quill smiled.

Surprisingly, Wanda responded with a smile of her own. It looked good on her.

"There's no way we didn't pass, right?" Erik asked, some doubt seeping into his tone, "that last mech was some kind of monster. They couldn't have expected us to beat it."

"You'll pass," Ava said, "there's no way your performance doesn't get you into the top twenty five-- even if you did die."

"Yeah," Erik sighed, relaxing a little.

"You know," Quill started, "I do think we made a pretty good team, despite everything."

"You were less useless than I thought you'd be," Erik admitted.

"Hey now," Quill grinned. "I--"

At that moment, the garage door lifted. The first five teams filed out of the rooms and back into the main one where Fury and the other students were waiting. "Remember, no talking about what you went through," Fury said. "We'll let you know how you did once we've finished testing the rest."

Quill and the others silently stuck together as they made their way to the room's far corner. As the next teams filed into the simulation rooms, they scanned the crowd of people for the ones that had already went. Most of them wore defeated looks. Quill felt sorry for them, but if they preformed poorly, it definitely upped their chances.

While they were waiting, they were approached by Maria Hill. "I need you five to come with me," she said. They all glanced at each other, then followed. She took them out of the room and down several hallways. Eventually, they made it to a hallway with a bunch of seats lining the hallway next to an unassuming white door. "We don't care who goes first, but you'll be going in one at a time for your interviews."

"Wait. Does this mean we passed?" Quill asked.

"Yes. Given your performance, we didn't feel the need to wait to see the rest of the applicants. We want you enrolled at our academy," Maria explained.

"That doesn't seem fair to the rest of--"

Erik elbowed Quill in the stomach.

"It's fine," Maria said, "the number is more of a guideline than anything else. If we happen to find more than twenty five applicants that we want, we'll take them all. Theoretically, anyway. We haven't actually had that happen yet."

That eliminated any sense of guilt Quill may have had. "Why interviews though?" he asked, "don't you guys already have all the information you need?"

"It's more of an informal getting to know you session," Maria admitted, "it helps us figure out which teams to place you on and which mentor we'll stick you with."

"Fair enough," Quill said.

"So, who wants to go first?"

The rest of the team looked at each other and then, in unison, said, "Quill."

"I mean, I guess I don't mind, but I still feel a little betrayed," Quill said, eyes narrowed.

"Alright. Then, please step through that door," Maria said, gesturing towards the door.

"Wish me luck, I guess," Quill said with a shrug. He then went over to the door and opened it.


	3. Chapter 3

The room beyond was fairly empty. Minus a trio of tables arranged in a semi circle around a chair in the middle of the room, there wasn't much else. At each of the tables sat a different person with a set of documents in front of them. Quill recognized the three individuals right away. Natasha sat at the left table, Bruce occupied the middle one, and Thor took the one on the right. "Let's see," Natasha said, rifling through the papers in front of her, "you would be Peter Quill, correct?"

"That's right," Quill answered with a nod as he took the seat in the center of the room.

"Congratulations on passing," Natasha said with a casual smile.

"Thank you."

She glanced down at his file before speaking up again. "It says here that you're eighteen. That means you joined up as soon as you possibly could. I take it there's a reason for that?"

"There is," Quill admitted. He hesitated for a moment after that, wondering how best to put his explanation. Yondu wasn't really his dad. Quill had always kind of thought of him that way, but it's not like they'd ever used the terms father and son. Saying as much out loud seemed kind of presumptuous. "They guy who raised me," Quill started, settling for something less familiar, "he worked with you guys and he's always been a hero to me. When he died... It left a bit of a hole. I've been kind of fixated on joining the Avengers ever since. I guess it's my way of trying to get to know him better even though he's already gone."

"Hold on," Thor said, taking a second to do the mental math, "are you Yondu's kid?"

"S-sort of, I guess," Quill responded, "did he ever actually say I was his kid?"

"No, but you could tell from the way he talked," Thor smiled, "whenever we drank together he'd always end up talking about your latest exploits. He was proud of you."

Quill chewed his bottom lip, a mixture of emotion welling up inside him. Hearing that Yondu probably thought of him as a son meant the world to him. On the other hand, knowing that Thor was privy to certain events in his childhood was embarrassing to say the least. Yondu would have definitely shared stories that Quill would have preferred to keep buried.

"Did you stay with the Ravagers after Yondu died?"

"Yeah. I've been with them since I was five. If things fell through here, I would have gone back to them."

"So you actually already have some experience escorting refugees then," Bruce commented. That was one of the tasks members of the Avengers regularly took on.

"That's right," Quill said, forgetting to hide the pride in his tone. "I've been a part of a few rescue missions too. The Ravagers might not be able to do everything you guys can, but we do some pretty good work for a bunch of rogues turned heroes."

"I think we all agree with that," Bruce said, "I am a little concerned about what your childhood was like in their care though. I take it that you haven't had any sort of formal education?"

"Uh, no," Quill admitted. "I-Is that a requirement?"

"Don't panic. You're fine," Natasha said reassuringly. "We take people with a lot of different backgrounds. You're not the only one we've had like that. It's just something we like to keep in mind."

"Right."

"What kinds of things did you learn from them?" Bruce asked.

"Well..." As Quill considered his answer to that question, he realized that Bruce did have the right to be a bit concerned. Quill figured he should skip the part about him learning to pick locks and break into places. "I guess I learned the sort of things you'd expect someone to learn living most of their life in space. I know how to pilot most ships, I'm pretty good at making repairs, and I have a pretty decent knowledge of different alien cultures."

"We can certainly put those skills to use," Natasha said, "anyway, I think we got enough information to work with. Did either of you have any more questions before we wrap up the interview?"

"I have one," Thor said, "in the simulation, you ended up sacrificing yourself to save your team. If the same scenario played out in real life, do you think you'd do the same thing?"

Quill took a second to think about it. After a moment he said, "I don't want to die." Quill couldn't tell if his answer disappointed Thor or not. "It was easy to do it in the simulation because I knew I'd be fine, but if I was faced with that same exact situation in real life... I don't know."

\-----------------------------------------------------

Ava took the next interview. Once she entered the room, she silently took her seat.

"Ava Starr, right?" Bruce asked.

"That is correct," she replied formally.

"Your file doesn't really tell us much."

"I answered all the questions."

"You did, but you weren't exactly explicit."

"Is that a problem?"

"N-not exactly," Bruce replied, "but it does make it hard to figure out anything significant about you."

"You don't need to know anything about me. Put me on whatever team you like and I'll make it work."

Bruce exchanged a look with Thor and Natasha, silently calling for back up. Natasha was the one who intervened first. "Can you at least tell us why you want to join the Avengers?" Natasha asked. That was a pretty standard question.

"The job pays well," Ava answered curtly.

"So it's all about the money for you?" Thor asked with a frown.

"Yes," Ava said. She sucked in a breath and sat up straighter, hoping that her interviewers hand't noticed anything wrong. If she didn't keep it under control here... There was no way they'd take her if they knew how unstable she was.

"Are you alright?" Natasha asked.

"I'm fine," Ava replied quickly. She dug her nails into her palms. Losing control here wasn't an option. Her guardian, Bill Foster, was doing everything he could to help her, but his research was expensive. If she didn't get this job, he wouldn't be able to get what he needed and without those resources, he wouldn't be able to find a cure for her. Ava literally couldn't live with that. The more her phasing got out of hand, the more painful it became. She was quickly reaching her limit. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Would you actually give us a real answer to any of our questions?" Thor asked.

"No."

"Then I guess not."

\-----------------------------------------------------

"Erik Killmonger, born Erik Stevens," Thor read aloud. "Why the name change, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It makes it easier for people to know what I'm about," Erik said with a shrug, "Erik Stevens? He could be anyone. Erik Killmonger though? He's a guy you don't want to mess with."

"And that sort of reputation is important to you?"

"Yeah, it is. When you work as a mercenary, that sort of thing gets you pretty far."

"Did you like it?" Natasha asked, "working as a mercenary?"

"I did."

"Even the killing part?"

"Especially the killing part," Erik said bluntly, "I'm sure that makes me sound like some kind of villain, but I'd be lying if I said otherwise. I take pride in what I can do."

"You have no pity then? Even for the innocents you've killed?" Bruce asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"No one is innocent," Erik replied evenly, "and no. World's a cruel place-- with or without my help."

"Well, we never said you had to be a saint to join up with us," Natasha said. "Protecting people is the majority of what we do here though. I assume you understand that."

"I do."

"And you're capable of that?"

"It's not my usual M.O., but I don't see why not."

"I've got to ask," Thor cut in, "what are you hoping to get out of this? Is it the money you're interested in or something else?"

"The money is good," Erik replied, "but it's not what I'm after."

"Then what are you after?" Bruce asked.

"Power."

"Power?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," Erik said, "basically, no one can mess with you guys, right? I've got a reputation as a mercenary, but if I went up against a mech on my own, chances are high that I'd lose. Joining up with you guys is my way of becoming the biggest bad ass I can be."

"That's really all you want?"

"You say that like it's nothing," Erik pointed out, "but it's not nothing. When you have power, you get to decide your fate. When you don't, you're stuck letting other people decide things for you. And trust me, those people never have your best interest in mind. As someone who has been powerless before, trust me when I say I never want to feel that way again."

\-----------------------------------------------------

"You're Wanda Maximoff. One of the Maximoff twins," Natasha stated. It was subtle, but Wanda was able to make out the troubled frown on her face. Wanda didn't have to guess why it was there. In fact, it'd be strange if it wasn't.

"That's right," Wanda said calmly.

Natasha went quiet. Wanda assumed that the others expected her to ask a follow up question because the room was filled with a momentary awkward silence. Thor put an end to it by asking a question, "you and your brother decided to join together?"

"No. He decided to join on his own. I just wouldn't let him do it alone."

"So this wasn't your idea? You don't actually want to be an Avenger?" 

"I don't," Wanda said plainly, "but if that's the best way to make sure my brother doesn't get himself killed, I'll do it. He's all I have left."

"You don't have any other family members then?" Bruce cut in with a sympathetic expression.

"Our parents died in the first Chitauri invasion," Wanda explained, "a building collapsed on top of them and, being children at the time, we didn't have the strength to get them out. They died and all we could do was struggle to lift pieces of concrete that were way too big for us. The world was a mess after that. Pietro and I were forgotten. We had to make ends meet ourselves."

"Which is why you resorted to thievery," Natasha said. It wasn't a question. Wanda was right about assuming she knew more about her and her brother than her other two interviewers. Their story was a bit more personal to her, after all.

"Yes," Wanda admitted, "in our early teens we started running a few jobs for one of the local gangs. We never murdered anyone, but anything less was definitely on the table. Clint Barton is the one who intervened and changed that, but you already know that."

"I think that's enough information," Natasha said, cutting the interview short. The other two didn't argue with her.

Wanda, however, spoke up. "May I add something?"

"Of course," Bruce said kindly.

"It'd be a mistake to split me and Pietro up. We work best when we're together."

\-----------------------------------------------------

"And lastly, we have Pietro Maximoff," Bruce said as Pietro took his seat.

"But not least, I assure you," Pietro replied.

"I like the confidence," Bruce commented with an amicable smile. "Anyway, as you know, we just interviewed your sister. She had some... interesting things to say."

"I'm sure she did," Pietro responded, "did she ask you to keep us on the same team?"

"She did, as a matter of fact."

"Do you plan on making the same request?" Thor asked curiously.

"No," Pietro shook his head, "I do think it'd be a bit of a mistake not to put us on the same team, but I'm dedicated to being here no matter what."

"That's a very different attitude than your sister's."

"I know. She doesn't want to be here at all, but I think this is the best way to make up for all the bad things we've done in the past," Pietro explained, "and... I owe it to Barton after what I did to him. He can't protect people the way he used to because of me so the least I can do is step in and do what I can in his place."

"If Clint were here he'd tell you that wasn't necessary," Natasha said softly, "you don't owe him anything."

"Well, the way I see it, I owe him everything," Pietro replied.

"But--"

"Natasha," Bruce interjected gently. Natasha went quiet, but worry was still etched on her face.

"So, basically what you're saying is that you're determined to join us and there's no changing your mind?" Thor asked.

"That's right."

"Well, we can certainly use you. Disregarding those last few minutes in the simulation, you did really well."

"...That won't happen again. That last part, I mean." Pietro was still disappointed in himself for that particular bit of performance.

"It better not," Natasha said, "if you waste the life that Clint sacrificed himself for, I will never forgive you."

"Of course," Pietro said with a nod. He hesitated a moment and then decided to ask the question he'd been wondering about. "How is he, by the way? I-If it's alright to ask."

Natasha's frown deepened. "He's... Well, he's getting by," she said.

"So he's not actually okay?"

"He's grumpy most of the time," Natasha admitted with a sigh, "but he's alive. And he doesn't blame you. I want to be transparently clear about that."

Pietro kind of wished he could go see him. He was sure that he was probably the last person Clint wanted to see, but... More than anything, Pietro wanted to make things right between them.


	4. Chapter 4

If Quill didn't already know he'd been accepted into the academy along with his teammates, the following wait would have been torture. Part of it was due to the fact that they'd been accepted early, of course, but even after the last round of candidates finished up it took several hours before Nick Fury finally came out and addressed the ones that had made the cut. Apparently, it had taken them awhile to decide the teams.

"From this point on, you will be divided into teams. Each team will have five members, just like in the simulation. This time, however, the people picked to be on your team are your actual team members. You will get to know most of the people in this room over the course of our training program, but the ones you eat, sleep, and fight alongside will be the ones you're paired with now. Each team will also be assigned a mentor, a.k.a. a glorified babysitter. They're there to answer any questions and make sure you don't get killed. The five Avengers volunteering this year are: Brunnhilde, Thor, Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner, and yours truly," Fury explained. Quill really hoped he didn't get Nick Fury as a mentor. "Now, without further ado, let's get started. The first member of Brunnhilde's team is Drax the Destroyer."

A muscular alien with red tattoos got up from his seated position and went over to Brunnhilde. He definitely stood out-- especially after the rest of the team was called. The other four were all human and Quill had quickly forgotten all of their names except the one that was called last, Scott Lang.

Nick Fury called Natasha's team up next. The one Quill remembered from her line up was Sharon Carter.

The most notable member of Bruce's team was a kid named Peter Parker. He didn't look old enough to be there, but if he passed he must have at least been eighteen.

So far, none of Quill's former teammates had been called. The chances of Quill getting paired up with them again seemed more and more likely. Quill was kind of excited by that. Sure, they'd all been hesitant to work together at first, but he felt like he'd had a real breakthrough with them by the end of it all. It'd be nice if they could all be together again. Quill's anticipation rose as Fury called out the members of his own team. The first one was a name that Quill didn't recognize. So was the second and third. The fourth... also someone new. Finally, the fifth... "Nakia."

Wait. Did that really mean... Quill listened intently as Nick Fury called the names of Thor's team members. "Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Ava Starr, Erik Killmonger, and Peter Quill." He turned to look at his former-- and now current-- team members. Erik and Pietro seemed excited while Wanda and Ava looked indifferent. Quill could live with that. All five of them met up with Thor as Fury concluded his instructions, "your mentors will take it from here, starting with a tour of our facilities."

\-----------------------------------------------------

"And here we have the cafeteria," Thor said, "you'll probably end up eating most of your meals here. We do also have a bar back that way, but Erik is the only one I want to see there. And Ava when her birthday comes up. As the rest of you joined at 18, it'll be a few years before you can make use of it."

That seemed a little strict. Quill wasn't a huge drinker or anything, but the Ravagers had let him have some alcohol here and there over the years. Well, Earth rules were Earth rules, he supposed. If he didn't want to get kicked out of the Academy it was best to just follow them.

Thor took them a few more places including the training grounds and the mech hangar before ending at a set of rooms. "This is where you guys will be staying for the duration of your training," Thor continued, "there are three rooms. One of them is smaller, but that means that whoever gets that room gets it to themselves. You'll have to pair off for the other two. Anyway, however you want to divide them up is up to you five."

Erik started thinking out loud. "Well, I guess it'd be natural to pair the girls--"

"I'll take a room with my brother," Wanda said quickly.

"Okay, then. I guess that's good too. Do you want the single room then, Ava?"

"I do," Ava answered with a nod.

"I guess it's you and me then, Quill. You good with that?" Erik asked.

"Yeah, I'm good with that," Quill responded.

"Then we have Wanda and Pietro in one room, Erik and Quill in another, and, finally, Ava gets the single room. Is everyone happy with that?" Thor asked, noting their rooms. As their mentor, he'd probably have to keep track of that-- to some extent anyway. When everyone voiced their approval, Thor clapped his hands together and said, "well, that takes care of the tour then. If you ever need to find me, my room is on the twelfth floor. All of us residing there have nameplates so it shouldn't be hard to find. Anyway, I suggest you take the rest of today to get settled in. Don't stay up too late though. Training starts at 6 am sharp." That said, Thor left the team to their own devices. 

"So, the way I see it, there's still one really important thing we need to accomplish before we finish up for the day," Quill stated suddenly, turning to his team members.

"What's that?" Pietro asked curiously.

"A team name!" Quill said excitedly.

"You guys can have fun with that," Ava said, "I'm going to my room."

"Come on, Ava. A team name should be a team exercise!"

"I don't care what we're called. I will literally just agree to the first thing you say."

"Even if I suggest we call ourselves something like the Farting Boogers?"

Pietro snickered. The rest of the group was a bit too mature to find it humorous. Tough crowd. "That's fine," Ava said with a shrug. She then did exactly what she said she'd do and went to her room.

"We can not be the Farting Boogers," Erik pointed out, "I wholeheartedly object."

"I mean, I don't want to be the Farting Boogers either, but Ava really seemed to have her heart set on it," Pietro teased, "can we really deny a valued team member's wishes?"

"When she opts out of the decision making process, yes," Wanda said firmly.

"Nobody thinks that was a serious suggestion, right?" Quill asked, "I picked the dumbest words I could think of on the spot because I hoped it'd get her to stay."

"Sure, Quill, sure," Pietro grinned. He was having way too much fun with this.

"Well, it did work to some extent," Wanda admitted, "I was going to say I didn't care either, but your suggestion made me realize that I clearly do care."

"We need something respectable," Erik said, "something that will strike fear into our enemies."

"That's not really the main purpose of the Avengers."

"Yeah, our job is mainly to protect. Basically, we're guardians," Quill chimed in.

"Guardians is good," Pietro said. Everyone thought it over for a moment and agreed that it was a good start. They wanted to add something else to the name to make it a bit more unique.

"How about core?" Wanda suggested, "I mean, that's basically what we're using to fight with, right? It seems appropriate."

"Guardian Core, huh?" Pietro thought aloud.

"I'm good with that," Erik said.

"Me too," Quill agreed.

"Then that's our team name? Guardian Core?" Wanda asked.

"That's our team name," Pietro confirmed.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Quill didn't have a lot to move into the room he shared with Erik. He'd never owned a lot in the first place. Besides some clothes and a weapon or two, all he'd really taken with him was his Walkman and the two tapes his mother had left him. Erik seemed to have packed similarly. In fact, Quill didn't even catch a glimpse of something that could be considered a personal item. "Well, it looks like keeping our room clean shouldn't be hard," Erik commented.

"Oh, you haven't seen the way I throw my clothes around," Quill replied. When Erick cocked an eyebrow, he cleared his throat and added, "but of course I won't do that here. Gotta respect the fact that I'm sharing my room with someone else this time around after all." Quill took a seat on his bed and then asked, "are you really okay with sharing a room with me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. I just thought that maybe you'd get along with someone like Ava better than me."

Erik laughed as if Quill had just made a joke. "Look, nothing against Ava. She's hardcore and it'll be great to have her on our side. But you were the one who had everyone's back in that simulation. That makes you the person I want to room with."

"So, basically, you fell in love with me?" Quill asked with a teasing grin.

Erik tossed a pillow at Quill's face, "you weren't that cool."

"You were that cool though. The way you came between me and that last mech was definitely swoon worthy."

"Too bad I died shortly after. So much for heroism, huh?"

"That mech was really something else," Quill commented, flopping backwards onto his bed, "do you think we'll actually have to fight something that strong in real life?"

"I do," Erik said, "it was the same model as the ones we were using. Imagine what it'd be like going up against one of the mechs the main line up of Avengers use."

"We've got our work cut out for us, huh?"

"Seems like it."

\-----------------------------------------------------

Everyone was up and ready at 6 am. It had been a challenge for Quill to get himself up, but he didn't want to be late on his first day so he'd made it work. He couldn't speak for how easy it had been for the others, but Erik hadn't had any trouble. He seemed to be used to keeping a schedule like this. Once Thor had gathered them all, he took them to the training grounds. A woman with green skin and long dark hair tipped with magenta streaks was already there waiting for them.

"This is Gamora," Thor said, introducing her, "she's the most capable swordsman you'll ever meet."

"Which is why I'll be instructing you in the use of one," Gamora said, stepping up front, "since mechs have a variety of fighting styles, you're going to be learning a variety of fighting styles. It's as simple as that." She proceeded to explain that the other teams were with different instuctors, learning different things. Tomorrow, they'd be seeing one of the other instructors and Gamora would be teaching one of the other teams. Basically, it all worked on rotation. There might have been something else important in there, but Quill was a bit distracted. A cool and beautiful girl that could probably easily kick his ass? Quill had a type and she was it to the letter. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

As it turned out, sword fighting was not Quill's strong suit. Ava excelled at it, Erik was decent, Pietro was as bad as he was, and somehow Wanda was worse than all of them. Gamora decided she needed some one on one time and left the others to pair off and practice on their own. Erik challenged Ava which left Quill with Pietro. That was probably for the best. They were more evenly matched anyway.

"Those two are really going at it," Pietro commented, nodding towards Erik and Ava.

Quill had fallen for that trick earlier and was determined not to look this time. Still, he could hear the sound of their practice swords making contact with each other constantly. It certainly sounded like an epic duel was going on. They exchanged a few more blows before Pietro got cheeky and started using his super speed powers to dodge everything. 

"Come on," Quill groaned, "you know that's not fair."

"Yeah, but when are you actually going to be in a fair battle?" Pietro asked with a grin.

Quill sighed. He was right about that much. Still, Pietro cooperated for the most part and stopped using his abilities to cheat. They went at it for a bit longer before their instruction ended for the day. At least, it was supposed to have ended.

Even though the lesson had been called, Erik and Ava kept attacking each other. They were both panting heavily and dripping in sweat at this point, but neither of them was willing to give in to the other. "Damn. How do they have any energy left?" Pietro asked with a whistle.

"That's enough," Gamora said, clapping her hands together to get their attention. When they still didn't stop, she intervened, disarming Erik and locking her blade with Ava. Ava pulled back and lowered her blade from there. "Good job today, you guys. We'll pick this up next time."

Wanda groaned. She clearly wasn't looking forward to the next time.

As the others slowly filed out of the room, Quill figured he'd take a chance. He went up to Gamora and said, "hey, um, thanks for training us. That was a really cool lesson."

Gamora saw through him right away. "If you want to get my attention, get better. Then maybe I'll let you buy me a drink sometime."

It wasn't a no. Quill was encouraged by that much. Still, his good mood vanished immediately when Thor put his hand on top of Quill's head and said, "that will have to wait a few years. He's still underage."

"I guess he'll have plenty of time to get good then," Gamora said with a smile.

Quill just grumbled to himself as Thor escorted him the rest of the way out of the room. "You've got a long road ahead of you if you want to get a woman like that," Thor pointed out once they were on their own.

"That road would be a lot shorter if you didn't just cramp my style."

"Oh? You call that style?" Thor asked with an amused chuckle. In his best imitation of Quill, he repeated, "that was a really cool lesson." Then, resuming his own voice, he added, "I'm surprised the ladies aren't flocking to you with lines like that."

Quill blushed slightly in embarrassment. "What do you know? It's not like you'd do any better," Quill grumbled defensively.

"I'm insulted by the possibility that you actually think that."

Quill responded with indignant silence.

"Anyway, it's fine to have a social life, but don't let it distract you from your training, alright? The basics you learn during these first few weeks are what's going to get you out of most bad situations."

"Right. I guess you have a point."

"Of course I do," he said with one of his charismatic winks, "I'm expecting a lot out of you and your teammates. That's why I fought to get you guys, after all."

"Hm? You fought to get us? So we weren't just randomly assigned to you?"

"Nope. I picked you."

"Why?" Quill asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I suppose it's because I grew a bit of a soft spot for the five of you after our battle in the simulator."

"Our battle?"

"Oh, did I not mention it? I was piloting that last mech you fought."

Quill's head spun at that revelation. "T-that wasn't some sort of crazy program?"

"Nope. I had all the same parameters you five did."

That meant that the difference was in their actual skill level. Quill frowned. S-rank Avengers really were different then. Quill had already known that Thor was a talented pilot, but there was difference between hearing stories and actually experiencing it for himself. "Yeah, well, if you hadn't caught me by surprise, I would have finished you off without having to self destruct my mech," Quill said, the words spilling out of his mouth before he'd really thought them through.

Thor checked the clock in the hallway. "We've got some time before your next lesson. Let's go have Quentin fire up the simulator so you can prove it."

"That's the time we're allotted for lunch though," Quill said.

"You backing down then?"

Crap. Quill wasn't the type of person to turn down a challenge like that. "No," he said, his brain telling him to stop while he was ahead, "let's do it."

\-----------------------------------------------------

"So, you spent your whole lunch break going against Thor in the simulator?" Pietro asked as the whole team walked back to their dorms.

"Yeah," Quill mumbled weakly.

"You didn't do well, I take it?" Wanda asked, noting his slumped posture.

Quill shook his head.

"How bad?" Erik asked with a frown.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"That's what you get for biting off more than you can chew," Ava commented.

"Well, at least you got some good practice in," Pietro said, looking on the bright side.

"I don't know if being obliterated in two seconds over and over qualifies as good practice," Quill mumbled.

"Okay. Then maybe you learned not to challenge Thor?"

Quill responded to Pietro's suggestion with a look of sheer devastation. If only. In actuality, he'd taken the bait and let Thor con him into another session of rematches tomorrow.

"What is wrong with you?" Ava asked with a disapproving frown.

"I have no idea," Quill sighed. He had always been a little on the impulsive side, but it really shouldn't have been that easy. Thor seemed to know exactly how to push his buttons. Why he'd want to was another matter entirely though. Quill didn't see what Thor had to gain by provoking him. Well, whatever the reason, Quill wasn't just going to roll over and take it. He had until tomorrow to come up with a way to knock that dumb smirk off Thor's face. Renewed by the thought, he headed back to his room without another word as his team members exchanged worried glances.


	5. Chapter 5

"Let me guess, you want me to start up the simulators for you again," Quentin said, keeping his eyes fixed on the oversized computer screen in front of him as he heard Thor step into the room. These battles between him and Quill were quickly becoming a daily occurrence. Quentin finished typing a few lines of code as he said, "I can't believe you two are still going at it."

"Well," Thor responded in a sheepish tone, "he hasn't given up yet and I have no plans to back down, so..."

Quentin spun his chair around so that he was actually facing Thor this time. "Are either of you actually benefiting from this? I mean, don't get me wrong, the kid is good for his age, but he's not on your level. I don't see how much he can learn from you beating him into the dirt over and over within the span of a few seconds."

"Our last battle lasted a full thirty seconds. It's subtle, but he is getting better."

Quentin had chalked that up to a fluke. "You sure you weren't just toying with him that time? Because I think you get a kick out of beating up this kid for some reason."

"It is pretty fun," Thor admitted.

"Quill probably finds it more frustrating than fun, but whatever," Quentin said with a shrug. He turned back towards his computer and opened up a program. A few clicks later, he added, "you're good to use the simulators in room 3."

"Thanks, Quentin. I appreciate it."

"Hey, at least it gives me something to watch while I take my lunch break," Quentin said, waving Thor off. Once Thor left the room, Quentin grinned and started messing with the simulation's settings. He'd been a bystander long enough. It was time to get in on the fun and play a little game of his own. Thor shouldn't be the only one having fun, after all.

\-----------------------------------------------------

"Quentin! What is this?" Thor growled, desperately pressing buttons in an attempt to get his machine to start up. Instead of starting him and Quill off with functioning mechs, Quentin had the scenario start with them both piloting broken down ones. Since their conditions were the same, it was technically still fair, but Thor knew that Quentin had targeted him specifically. The man knew full well that he was terrible at making repairs!

"Oh, just a bit of a curve ball," Quentin replied, speaking through the com, "nothing you can't handle, I'm sure."

Thor cursed and then tried focusing. Surely he could remember something from all those obligatory (and very boring) classes he'd taken so long ago. He groaned as he realized that nothing was coming to him. He then glanced Quill's way and saw that he already had his mech back up. That was... really quick.

"Huh. That was fast," Quentin commented, "looks like your time is up, Thor. Quill's got a free shot and there's nothing you can do about it."  
If this was a real fight, Thor would just exit his mech and resume the fight himself. After all, he didn't need a large suit of metal to be a threat. His powers as the god of thunder made him more than a match for most of his opponents on his own. And that's exactly why he was so helpless now. He couldn't exactly do that in this simulation. All he could do was grumble as he waited for Quill to end it.  
But Quill didn't end it.

Instead, he asked, "uh, do you need a little help over there?"

Thor buried his face in his hands. This was so embarrassing. He really wished Quill had just shot him and gotten the scenario over with. Then he could at least pretend like he had been making progress. The more Quill waited, the more obvious it'd be that he didn't have a clue as to what he was doing.

"Interesting. You aren't going to shoot him?" Quentin asked Quill.

"Well, it's definitely tempting, but winning that way wouldn't exactly feel good, you know? When I do finally win, I want it to be because I took Thor down without any gimmicks."

"Heh. That'll be the day."

"Come on, man. You could at least pretend it's possible."

"You've got a long way to go, kid. But sure. I'll humor you. In the meantime, you'll probably want to talk Thor through what you did. I'm almost 100% sure he has no idea how to fix his mech."

"Is that true?"

"Yes," Thor grumbled, "I hate you, Quentin."

"Does that mean we're not on for drinks later?"

"We're always on for drinks later! That has nothing to do with this!"

"Thor, if you look to your left there's a panel with a row of switches," Quill cut in, "you'll want to start by flipping the middle one up."

Okay. That was easy enough. Thor followed the first step of Quill's instructions. "What's next?"

"The next part is a little tricky so--"

"Ooh, that's rough. Good luck talking Thor though it before my next surprise shows up," Quentin interjected.

"Damn it, Quentin!" Thor cursed.

"Relax. It'll be a good team building exercise-- with the added benefit of letting me test out the program I just finished working on."

"I swear--"

"Thor, focus!" Quill said urgently, "we don't have time for you two to keep bickering."

"Right," Thor grumbled, refocusing. Quill kept feeding him instructions and Thor did his best to follow along. He was about halfway through the process when a thick green fog started rolling in between the buildings surrounding them. Quill hesitated, making it Thor's turn to intervene. "Quill."

"T-the right side. Bottom of the panel. There's a row of buttons," Quill started. As he guided Thor through the next step, Quentin's villain made its appearance. A medium sized mech with green and gold armor rose up through the fog, a long maroon cape fluttering behind it. It's most striking feature was an orb shaped head that reminded Thor of a crystal ball.  
"It's not exactly important right now, but I call my creation Mysterio," Quentin said proudly.

Thor avoided letting Quentin distract him this time and finished Quill's last instruction. Thor's mech booted up and his reaction was instantaneous. He launched himself at Mysterio, making an attack with his mech's sword. Mysterio responded by disappearing and reappearing near Quill. Teleportation then. Thor really wished he could use his ability to call down lightning right now.

Quill tried firing off a few shots, but Mysterio just disappeared and reappeared in another place. This time, Thor moved even faster than before. His sword cut through Mysterio. At least, it should have. Instead of making contact with the mech, Thor felt like he was slicing air.

"I think your program could use some more work, Quentin," Thor said with a grin.

"Or that's exactly what would have happened outside of the simulator," Quentin replied calmly.

"So you're telling me you're not cheating?"

"Not at all. There's a way to do all this in real life. Granted, I would need a little help from Tony, but I promise you it's all above board. Think of that failed attack of yours as a hint."

Mysterio backed up and pooled green magic around his hands before firing it in the form of a beam at Thor's mech. Thor dodged the attack easily enough. He may not have caught on to whatever gimmick Quentin was fooling around with, but he could still rely on his combat reflexes to buy him the time he needed to figure it out. He charged forward, going for another direct attack. Mysterio disappeared in response. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that when he reappeared, there were two more copies of him. All three of them started up their attacks. Thor dodged the first two attacks, but got nicked by the the last one. Concluding that that one must be the real one, Thor shot at the third Mysterio. The blasts went straight through Mysterio.

"Come on!" Thor groaned, "what's the deal with this guy, Quentin?"

"Like I'm going to just tell you," Quentin said smugly, "watching you struggle is so much fun. I think the others might get a kick out of it too when I show them the play back. The Mighty Thor in all his--" A mid air explosion came out of seemingly nowhere. It took Thor a minute to realize that Quill had fired a shot that had actually hit something. Apparently, Quentin was surprised too because he actually shut up for a minute.

"Pretty sure I figured it out," Quill said.

"You sure you didn't just get lucky?" Quentin asked in response.

"Well, let me put it this way: I've got your combat drones showing up on my radar now."

Quentin laughed. "Well, I guess that's the end of the scenario then. I'm impressed."

"I'm the one who's impressed," Quill replied, "I would have never thought to use combat drones that way. There's so much potential there! You've got to talk to Stark about implementing it!"

"That is the plan."

"So... Anyone want to explain by any chance?" Thor asked grumpily.

"Quentin rigged the combat drones to display holograms. Those holograms made up Mysterio and the fog. He was also able to hide the drones by having them mimic their surroundings with that same technology. So, when Mysterio appeared to be teleporting, that was just him hiding and showing different drones at different times. Obviously, your attack missed because you attacked the hologram and not the drone. And, finally, the combat drones were already capable of attacking before Quentin messed with them. He used that function to damage your mech," Quill explained excitedly, "I think that about sums it up."

"Just about," Quentin admitted.

"How'd you figure it out though?" Thor asked.

"Well, your failed attack was the first big clue. After that, I messed with the fog a bit while you kept fighting. I wanted to see if it acted like normal fog. It didn't. At that point I figured it was some sort of illusion. I kind of ruled out magic when Quentin said he'd need Tony's help. After all, if Tony is involved, it's most likely going to be tech related. Then it was just a matter of getting the radar to display smaller signals."

"You know your mechs," Quentin said, "unlike somebody I could name."

"I get it. I've got to work on the technical stuff," Thor growled.

"As long as you learned your lesson. Well, guys, I'm shutting the simulation down now. Good job, Quill. I'll be keeping a closer eye on your progress after that performance."

As promised, the simulators shut down about a second later. "So," Quill started, turning his chair towards Thor's station, "same time tomorrow?"

"Can't," Thor said, "your weekend starts tomorrow which means I have Avenger duty. You should see if your teammates want to do something."

"Right," Quill replied. "Wait. Don't you get time off?"

"If I ask for it."

"That doesn't seem right."

"Asgardians are a bit hardier than humans. Besides, I like to stay busy." It was better than having time to linger on... things he'd rather forget. Honestly, that's probably part of why he'd provoked Quill into wasting his lunch breaks with him. Focusing on the simulation battles had been a nice distraction, but Quill should probably have been spending that time with his actual teammates. Thor supposed Quentin had a point when he said he didn't think Quill was really benefiting from their fights. After a moment of hesitation, Thor made up his mind. "Hey, Quill..."

"Yeah?"

"We should stop these lunch time battles."

"What? Why?"

"I think I've been taking up too much of your time. You should be spending your lunch break actually eating something. Besides, that's also the time you should be bonding with your teammates."

"I mean, yeah, but come on! I think I'm getting somewhere!"

"I don't know, Quill. I do think you're improving, but it's despite the situation, not because of it. All I've been doing is tearing you down for my own satisfaction. You excelled today and that's because you actually got a real chance to put your abilities to use."

"Then lets do more scenarios like that! I'm sure Quentin has all sorts of them that we can use."

"Most of them are team exercises. The whole point of our battles was for you to beat me, wasn't it?"

"Don't be a dick. We both know that wasn't going to happen. Not anytime soon anyway."

"Then why do you want to continue so badly?"

"Because," Quill started, averting his gaze shyly, "even if you keep beating the crap out of me, it's kinda cool being able to go up against an actual Avenger on a regular basis. It makes any amount of progress seem kind of significant."

Thor was kind of relieved. Maybe he hadn't screwed up as a mentor as much as he thought he had. If Quill was happy with the arrangement, maybe it wasn't totally unethical to keep going. Thor smiled and said, "well, I guess Quentin might enjoy having an outlet for his sadistic tendencies."

"Does that mean we're on for next week?" Quill asked, perking up immediately.

"With a few changes. First, we'll limit it to one day a week and, second, we'll do team exercises instead of one-on-one battles from now on. Sound good?"

"Yeah, alright. I'd like to do it more often, but as long as we're not stopping completely I guess I'm happy."

"Then it's a date," Thor said with a wink.

"Really? Did you have to say it like that?" Quill grumbled, "I already get that sort of crap from Pietro. And what if Gamora gets the wrong idea?"

Thor simply chuckled in response. Teasing Quill really was too much fun.

\-----------------------------------------------------

"Ended your date early, huh?" Pietro asked teasingly as Quill took a seat next to him in the cafeteria. The other members of their team rolled their eyes at Pietro's comment and continued eating. "That doesn't bode well for the relationship."

"You know, you're becoming predictable," Quill replied defensively.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm deeply invested in your forbidden student/teacher relationship."

"He's not really a teacher, you know? He's more like a den mother."

"That doesn't sound as sexy though."

"Whatever," Quill sighed. He'd learned that it was better not to engage. It only encouraged Pietro. The best way to get Pietro off his back was to change the subject. Luckily, he had just the topic in mind. 

"Are you guys free tomorrow? I was thinking it'd be fun to do something together."

"Can't. I'm busy all day," Ava said simply. It was the response Quill had expected. Still, he supposed it had been worth a try. Maybe the others would be free.

"I kind of have other plans," Pietro said, "sorry, Quill." The fact that Pietro failed to elaborate was a little weird. Unlike Ava, he was usually quick to share. Quill wasn't concerned enough about it to pry though. At least, not beyond his next question.

"Without Wanda?" Quill asked.

"I have a date tomorrow," Wanda explained.

"What? With who?"

"Sharon. You know? The gorgeous blond on Natasha's team."

"When did that happen?"

"When you were off spending time with your boyfriend."

"Ugh. Yeah, okay. I get it. You're out too. How about you, Erik?"

"I was planning on getting some extra training in. You can join in if you'd like."

"Yeah, alright. I'll tag along for part of the day anyway," Quill said.

"Sounds good."

Quill didn't imagine he'd want to train for the whole day. Erik tended to favor physical exercise and, while that was important, Quill couldn't say he was a fan. Maybe he'd go visit Yondu's statue again or something. Or he could see if Gamora was free... Nope. That was a stupid idea. No way. Well, whatever he did, he didn't have to decide now. He could figure all of that out tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Quill groaned and tried not to think about how much his body ached. He'd only practiced with Erik for a few hours too. If he'd tried to stick around for the whole regimen, he probably wouldn't be able to move at all. He was seriously considering going straight back to bed and calling it a day.

As Quill was debating, a familiar orange cat trotted over to him and rubbed against his leg. "Hey there," Quill smiled as he crouched down to pet the cat. Mistake. Quill groaned. He was going to need a minute before he was able to get up again. Well, at least the cat could benefit from the fact that he was stuck in that position. He scratched the cat behind the ear and it began purring. "You like that, huh?"

The cat responded by rubbing its neck against Quill's wrist. Quill wasted a few more minutes petting it until he finally felt ready to stand up again. "Well, buddy, I'd stick around and pet you some more, but I'm kind of terrified of your owner."

"Oh? I didn't realize I was so terrifying," came an amused voice from somewhere behind Quill.

The cat immediately abandoned Quill and went over to the speaker. When Quill turned to see who it was for himself, he saw none other than Carol Danvers. "Y-you're Captain Marvel's pilot," Quill gaped.

"That's right. Carol Danvers," she said, "and this is Goose. I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Wait. He's not Fury's cat?"

"No. I can see why you'd think that though. Nick spends a lot of time looking after him for me. By the way, he isn't actually a cat. He's a Flerken."

"Really?" Quill asked, slightly alarmed.

"You actually know what a Flerken is?" Carol smiled.

"Oh yeah. Yondu told me stories about them when I was a kid."

"Ah, Yondu's boy! Thor did mention you. I forgot your name though."

"Quill. Well, Peter Quill. I go by my last name. Thor mentioned me?"

"He did. You've made quite the impression on him," Carol said with a knowing smile.

Quill was kind of happy about that.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you, but I've got to get going. Nick's going to get impatient if I keep him waiting too long. We've got a movie marathon to start." She added a wink to the end of her sentence and then leaned over to pick up Goose.

"Don't let me hold you up then. I don't need to give Fury another reason to keep me on his shit list."

Carol chuckled an moved on, leaving Quill behind in the hallway. Quill straightened out and then decided that he probably had enough energy left to at least go visit Yondu's statue. Probably. 

He made his way to the park and found the memorial. Today there was already someone there paying their respects. A young woman Quill found he recognized. "Nakia, right?" Quill asked, approaching her, "from Fury's team?"

"That's right," she smiled, "and you're the one that got in trouble with him on the first day."

"That's my legacy, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," Nakia answered with a playful chuckle, "that is how everyone on my team knows you. At least they know you though, right?"

"True," Quill smiled. "So... did you ever get a chance to actually meet Yondu?" She was around his age, so she would have been a kid when Yondu died, but it wasn't impossible. Besides, she had to be here for a reason, right? Most people wouldn't waste their time off visiting a tribute to someone who didn't mean anything to them.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I do admire him though. He is the reason I decided to join up with the Avengers, actually. Him and T'Challa."

"Yeah?"

"Despite starting off as a mercenary, Yondu ended up helping so many people, refugees who didn't have anyone else to turn to. It's hard not to respect someone like that. The galaxy really lost someone special when he died. The rest of the Avengers have done what they can to make up for that loss, but they're too tied to Earth. They aren't as efficient as they could be. When I complained to T'Challa, he said I should join up so I could fix things myself. He had a point."

"I think Yondu would have been happy to hear that," Quill said sincerely. He knew he was happy to hear that. Yondu was a big deal to him so hearing that he was a big deal to someone else in the academy meant something to him.

"You knew him then?"

"Yeah. He saved me when I was a kid. I was a Ravager until I entered the academy actually."

"No kidding?"

"No kidding."

"You wouldn't want to go grab something to eat, would you?" Nakia asked boldly, "that way, you'd have plenty of time to tell me all about the real Yondu."

Wait. Was she asking him out on a date? Quill felt like he might be reading too much into the situation. But what if he wasn't? Nakia was really cute. And it definitely seemed like they had more in common than he'd thought. Hell, he could even see a future with her where they both worked alongside the Ravagers. Indulging thoughts like that made him feel like he was cheating on Gamora, but it's not like they were actually a thing. Maybe...

Nakia waved a hand in front of Quill's face. "Did I break you?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking that hearing more about Yondu might disillusion you a bit."

"That's alright," Nakia smiled warmly. "It's nice to remember that flawed people can do good."

Quill blushed and returned the smile. "Then yeah. Some food sounds nice."

\-----------------------------------------------------

Well, it was official. Pietro was a stalker. Still, this was something he felt he had to do. He checked the address he had written down and made sure that it matched the number on the house. Sure enough, it did. So, this was Clint's house? It was a bit small and run down, not the sort of place anyone would suspect a former Avenger of living in. It did seem to have a decent backyard though.

Pietro swallowed and then walked up the driveway towards the house's front door. He went to knock and then hesitated. This was a really bad idea, wasn't it? What had he been thinking? If he had any decency, he'd turn around right now and--

"Mind moving to the side a bit?" Clint's voice came from behind him.

Pietro immediately obeyed and got out of Clint's way. The former Avenger wheeled his chair forward until he was at the door and then pulled out a set of keys. In the process, he almost knocked the bag of groceries on his lap over, but Pietro darted forward and put a hand on the bag to support it. "Ah, sorry," Pietro said, wondering if it had been his place to do that.

"Why?" Clint asked, "I, for one, am glad none of my groceries ended up on the ground." He unlocked the door and then added, "you coming in or what?"

Pietro hesitated a moment, but then followed Clint inside. Clint tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and then got to work putting his groceries away. 

"Um, can I help with anything?" Pietro asked.

Clint paused thoughtfully and then turned his head towards Pietro. "Any chance you're a decent cook?"

"Not really."

"Hm. Same as me then. Oh well." Clint resumed putting groceries away as Pietro tried to process what was going on. The fact that Clint hadn't even questioned his presence was throwing him off.

"A-anyway, um... I don't know if you remember, but I'm--"

"Pietro Maximoff. I know."

"Right," Pietro frowned. He would remember the person behind the fact that he was now stuck in a wheel chair.

"Nat told me you joined the Avengers."

"Are you... okay with that?" Pietro asked cautiously.

"It's none of my business what you decide to do with your life," Clint said, "as long as it's what you actually want to do, I don't have a problem with it." He pulled a frying pan out of one of the cabinets and put it on the stove top, apparently getting ready to cook something. "You like eggs? I was just going to scramble a couple and call it a meal."

"Uh, sure." Just eggs, huh? It didn't sound like Clint was keeping a balanced diet. Pietro wondered if Natasha brought him food whenever she came for a visit. While Clint was working on that, Pietro looked around the room. He spied a picture of a happy Clint with his wife and kids.

Apparently Clint had caught him staring because he said, "we finalized the divorce a couple months back."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. We're still on friendly terms and I do get to see my kids on a regular basis. I just... pushed Laura to the point where she needed me out of the house."

"Why tell me this?"

"Because you looked like you wanted to know. And I'm tired of talking to myself. Eggs are done."

Clint split the contents of the pan onto two different plates and then brought them over to the dining table. He gestured for Pietro to sit down and then guided his wheel chair to the end of the table.

"This is probably an insensitive question, but can't Stark do something about your legs?"

"He could. If I was interested in being half robot. Which I'm not. Tony swears he's going to find a way to 'fix' me some day, but honestly, he's got more important things to focus on. In any case, I get by just fine."

"Right." Pietro went quiet for a moment. Clint didn't try striking up another conversation so they just ate in silence until Pietro's nerves got the best of him. "Is it okay that I'm here?" he finally asked, "I mean, I have to be the last person you wanted to see, right?"

"The last person I want to see is Thor, actually. Last time he visited, he finished off my last jar of pickles without telling me," Clint said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Because of that I didn't buy a new one when I did my regular shopping and I had to make an extra trip once I finally noticed."

Pietro snorted at that.

"Yeah. I guess it is a little funny," Clint smiled, "point is, you're not on my shit list, kid."

Pietro was thrilled to hear that. It gave him the courage to ask his next question. "Then is it okay if I come visit you again sometime?"

"I don't see why not. As long as you bring me something decent to eat next time."

"I can do that," Pietro grinned.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Wanda and Sharon had planned to go out, but that plan was quickly tossed out the window when they both decided that making out in Wanda's room was a better use of their time. Honestly, despite being in a relationship, they hadn't talked to each other that much. Wanda didn't mind though. Sharon was gorgeous and that was enough for now.

"My brother's out for the day," Wanda mentioned once they'd finally pulled apart for half a second.

"Meaning?" Sharon asked with a teasing smile.

"Meaning we have this room all to ourselves," Wanda said in a low purr.

"I don't know what you're implying," Sharon responded playfully. Still, despite her words, she pushed Wanda back onto the bed and climbed on top of her. She then proceeded to kiss her way down Wanda's neck as her hands glided under Wanda's blouse and up her stomach. When she reached Wanda's breasts, she gave them a squeeze as she pressed her knee in between Wanda's legs.

Sharon definitely knew what she was doing. She wasn't the only one though. Wanda grinned and rolled Sharon underneath her. Once she had the other girl straddled beneath her, she pulled off her blouse and tossed it aside. Then she traced a finger from Sharon's lips down her neck and between her breasts. "Like what you see?" she asked.

"I do," Sharon said, running a hand up Wanda's thigh. "That bra of yours is getting in the way though."

"And here I thought it was cute."

Sharon chuckled. "It is, but I bet your breasts are cuter."

Wanda reached back and unhooked her bra. She let the straps fall limply down her shoulders, making a bit of a show of removing it. She then tossed it onto the floor.

"I was right," Sharon remarked with a grin.

"It's your turn," Wanda said, toying with the hem of Sharon's shirt. "It's not fair if I'm the only one this exposed." Sharon raised up her arms, making it easier for Wanda to pull her shirt off. Soon enough, Sharon's clothes joined Wanda's on the floor.

Yeah. This was way more fun than whatever else they would have done with their day.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Ava watched Bill type away on his computer as she climbed into the machine he'd made for her. Spending time in it stabilized her, but her condition was getting worse and Bill's technology wasn't keeping up. She just hoped that an elongated session on her day off would be enough to get her through the upcoming week.

"So, no improvements then?" Bill asked.

"It's getting worse," Ava said honestly. There was no point in hiding things from him.

Her adoptive father nodded. It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but he tried to stay positive. "That will change, Ava," he said gently, "once you start making money, we'll be able to make the upgrades we need. Then, we'll find that cure."

Ava doubted it. She didn't express her thoughts out loud though.

"Are you getting along with your new teammates?"

He was deflecting. Still, Ava humored him with an answer, "they're... alright."

"Alright, huh?" Bill smiled, "so you're actually making friends then?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"Coming from you, I'd say it's still progress."

Ava didn't bother with a response. If believing her social life was going well made him happy, so be it. And honestly, she would like a friend or two one day. It's just that it was hard to see a future like that until her condition was dealt with. The agonizing pain it caused her made sure she didn't get carried away by unrealistic fantasies. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and settled in for the boring day that laid before her.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Done with his training, Erik decided to spend his evening checking out the bar. He wasn't overly interested in drinking, but it was something he had access to that his teammates didn't. Thus, it was only natural to be a little curious. It turned out to be about what he'd expected though. Dimly lit with several TVs placed around the room and a wall of alcohol bottles on display behind the bar. He started making his way towards the bar when he was called over by a familiar voice.

"Ah, Erik. Over here," Thor said. He must have finished up his business for the day. Erik supposed it was kind of late. He changed course and headed over to Thor's table where a couple of other people had already joined him. Nursing their own drinks were Quentin and Brunnhilde. "Why don't you join us? I'll buy you your first drink."

Erik didn't see why not. He took the nearest free chair and sat down. "Is this a regular thing for you guys?" he asked.

"It is. Thor and I hit the bar nearly every night," Brunnhilde replied, "Quentin only joins us every other day."

"I'm not Asgardian, alright? I can't handle alcohol the way you two do," Quentin said defensively.

"That sounds like a weak attitude to me," Brunnhilde grinned.

"So, how was your day off?" Thor asked Erik, changing the subject rather abruptly.

"Fine. I got some good training in," he replied.

"It was supposed to be your day off, you know?"

"Says the guy who worked the whole day when he could have had it off."

"He's got you there," Brunnhilde said.

"Besides, I wasn't the only one who did some training. Quill joined me for part of it." Erik couldn't help but chuckle as he thought back to Quill's lousy attempt to follow along with him. "He's kind of hopeless though."

"You and Ava are definitely a grade above the other students when it comes to physical ability," Quentin said, "Quill has his own unique talents though." He turned to Thor and added, "I actually wanted to talk to you about him actually. I have no doubt that he'd end up being a talented mech pilot if he continues to go that route, but I was thinking that he might be more useful as a handler."

A handler, huh? Handlers worked in a support role. They remotely observed the battlefield and advised the pilots they were paired up with. They weren't used all the time, but having one as back up was insanely useful. Natasha Romanov spent most of her time working as one these days. Quentin thought Quill would be good at it though? The more Erik thought about it, the more he thought Quentin might have a point. Quill was decent in a fight, but that was because he was a quick thinker. He could do that sort of thing on someone else's behalf just as easily from behind a screen. Besides, as a human himself, Erik knew how much of a disadvantage it was to be a mech pilot without any super powers. Once they had a mech with a core, Wanda's and Pietro's mechs would start taking on their abilities, magic and super speed respectively. That was the sort of advantage him and Quill were never going to get. And Ava... Erik wasn't sure about her. She hadn't displayed any powers, but he got the feeling that didn't necessarily mean anything.

"It's a bit early to be making decisions like that, don't you think?" Thor asked.

"I suppose. Give it some thought though, will you? The more you observe him, the more you'll agree."

Erik spent another hour or so with the three of them before calling it a night and heading back to his room. He hadn't ended up drinking much, all things considered. He'd been more preoccupied with what Quentin had said. He didn't know if he liked the idea of Quill being a handler. Yeah, it kind of seemed more appropriate and it wasn't like that would keep them from working together, but...

"Oh, hey. You're back," Quill said, perking up when Erik came back into the room.

"Yeah, I'm back."

"Did you end up spending the whole day at the gym?"

"Nah. I just came back from checking out the bar, actually."

"Lucky," Quill sighed. "I can't believe I have to wait three years."

"There's a reason for that, you know?" Erik chuckled, "don't want to kill too many developing brain cells." He took a seat on his bed and then said, "anyway, how was your day? Do anything interesting after training?"

"I had lunch with Nakia," Quill said with an excited grin.

"Cheating on Thor, huh?"

"You too, huh?"

"I had to say it on Pietro's behalf," Erik chuckled, "Nakia is cool though. Was it just a friendly thing or..."

"Not sure about that actually."

"How can you not be sure?"

"I don't know," Quill mumbled, "I just don't."

"Whatever. You better figure it out fast though."

"You're right about that," Quill sighed.

Erik stared at him for a moment before deciding to ask. "Hey, Quill. How would you feel about being a handler?"

"I'm here to be a pilot, not a handler."

That was that then. Erik found he was satisfied with that answer. Quill probably wouldn't be pulled from their team anytime soon with an adamant attitude like that.


End file.
